Hastings Priory’s cricketers were knocked off the top of the table by their conquerors on Saturday.

Priory were bowled out for just 78 en route to a five-wicket loss away to new Sussex Cricket League Division Two leaders Lindfield and picked up just two points from their first trip to Lindfield Common.

Lindfield had won six in a row and Priory five on the bounce at the start of play, but after Priory chose to bat on winning the toss, they were soon in trouble.

Both openers were dismissed with only four on the board, including the bang in-form Elliot Hooper for a duck.

Joe Lamb (27) and Adam Maharaj-Newman tried to get the innings back on track, but Priory lost three wickets with the score 59 and three more five runs later to be staring down the barrel at 64-9.

Henry Smith hit 13 at the end before Priory were finished off in 38 overs. Hayden James did the bulk of the damage with superb figures of 6-25 from 18 overs.

Defending such a meagre total would have been hard enough even with a full strength bowling attack, but in the absence of key duo Adam Barton and Jed O’Brien, it was even more so.

On a positive note, Smith did well to dismiss the top three Lindfield batsmen and Hooper picked up a couple of wickets towards the end.

But even without gun batsman Max O’Dowd - who is part of the Netherlands’ squad in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 - Lindfield got over the line in the 19th over. Shane Wilson-Yelverton top-scored with 31.